The ‘new Berlin’. The ‘little Paris of the East’. Or, simply, Bucharest.

Romania’s hip capital city is more than a comparison. It’s a fascinating city of contrasts, combining over 500+ years of history with a relatively modern identity, glorious Belle Époque architecture with dour communist-era blocks, endless impressive parks with soulless public squares, and amazingly progressive locals alongside a select pragmatic few.

We landed in Bucharest not knowing what to expect, yet wide-eyed and ready to explore. And explore we did. In the end, we fell in love with the city, its culture, and its people, and we feel like you will to.

To help you prepare for a visit to this hip and happening city of contrasts, we’ve put together a list of useful things to know before visiting Bucharest.

11 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE VISITING BUCHAREST

THE CURRENCY IS THE ROMANIAN LEI (DESPITE BEING IN THE EUROPEAN UNION)

Romania joined the EU in 2007, however it’s not currently part of the Eurozone. As a result, it’s not really possible to use Euro’s here. Instead, you’ll be changing your currency to the Romanian Lei (RON).

The exchange rate is currently $1 USD – 4 RON, which means you’ll be feeling pretty flush with cash when you arrive. Which is great because…

BUCHAREST IS AFFORDABLE

What makes Bucharest stand out as an up-and-coming tourist destination is the fact that it’s very affordable when compared to its storied counterparts in western Europe. Indeed, we were constantly surprised and how far our money stretched.

Accommodation, whether it’s a hostel, hotel, or AirBnB, is affordable, ranging from $25 – $250 USD depending on your budget. Food and drink is where you make most of your savings though – two course meal with two pints set us back $25 USD. Winning.

BUCHAREST ISN’T THAT BEAUTIFUL, BUT THAT’S ITS APPEAL

We’ll be frank with you – Bucharest isn’t aesthetically beautiful, but we think that’s its appeal.

Formerly known as the “Paris of the east”, all that remains from this bygone era is the beautiful french designed municipal buildings located in the old town (Lipscani district). The rest of Bucharest is a real hodgepodge of communist era utilitarian blocks.

Fortunately, Bucharest has far more to it than a few pretty buildings. It has heart, and soul. We found the locals some of the friendliest in Europe, the expansive parks equal to any we’ve seen, and the hipster garden bars so cool they make Budapest’s famous ruin bars look claustrophobic.

Bucharest, like Berlin, is home to a thriving creative scene, with cool coffee shops, restaurants, festivals, markets, and street art.

YOU SHOULD LEARN A LITTLE ABOUT ROMANIA’S COMMUNIST PAST BEFORE VISITING

We arrived into Bucharest a little naive when it came to Romania’s communist past. Apart from the obvious, we knew nothing.

This was to our disadvantage, because there’s so much history, especially recent, which defines this city and its people. Spend some time researching (or read our article here) before you’ll visit and your time in Bucharest will be so much richer for it.

Depending on who you talk to, Bucharest’s public transport is both great and awful. From our own experiences, it as easy to navigate, cheap and generally clean. The city operates buses, trolley buses, trams, and the Metro.

Pro tip | Grab an Uber to/from the airport – it costs about $10 – $15 USD and is so much quicker than the airport bus.

THE FOOD IS PREDOMINANTLY MEAT BASED

The food in Romania is delicious, but it IS predominantly meat based. Indeed, Romania’s national dish is Sarmale; ground meat wrapped in cabbage.

Still, most restaurants we visited had a large range of vegetarian options, so those of you who are vegetarians will not go hungry.

While we’re on the topic of food, for those keen to experience Romania’s cuisine, we recommend venturing outside the old town. Mahala (Calea Rahovei 147-153, București, Romania), one of Bucharest’s best restaurants, is your best bet.

IT’S BEST TO STAY IN BUCHAREST’S OLD TOWN

While the public transport network in Bucharest is extensive and very good, we recommend staying within the old town (or inner city districts). It makes life a lot easier as most of the major attractions are located in the downtown area.

If you’d like to be close to the city, but far enough away from the hustle and bustle, the hipster district of Cotroceni is your best bet.

LEARN THE BASICS OF ROMANIAN

One thing we try to do before visiting a new country is to learn a few key phrases, a Romania was no different. The Romanians we met seemed to love it, for every “Salut” or “Mulţumesc” was met with the biggest smile of appreciation.

When you visit, try to learn the basics below:

Hello | “Salut.” (sah-LOOT)

How are you? | “Ce mai faci?” (chey my FAHTCH)

Thank you | “Mulţumesc” (mool-tzoo-MESK). “Mersi” is also popularly used.

AVOID THE TAP WATER

This came as a huge surprise to us, but it is recommended that you don’t drink the tap water in Bucharest. And if the locals recommend this, we’re happy to oblige. Using tap water for brushing teeth, cleaning food etc. is okay.

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We're Mark & Miranda, aka The Common Wanderer, an Aussie couple with a love of travel, adventure, writing and photography. We inspire and empower our readers to seek out the less explored corners of the earth through in-depth stories, travel tips, photography and wanderlust. Follow our journey through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

another great post, guys! my only comment – the Old Town is now overrun with tourists (and no locals) and it was never considered the most beautiful part of Bucharest. Besides the communist-inspired worker neighbourhoods, there are many other areas full of grand bell epoque villas and history, but those are really off-the-beaten path and known only to true locals. I’ll be writing about them soon – so you should plan another visit 🙂

Interesting, we loved the old town (apart from the tacky, tourist filled restaurants!) but are now really keen to learn more about the more beautiful neighbourhoods! We’re looking forward to your post!

I love that this place isn’t too beautiful. Gotta have some grit for me to dig any major city. I recall visiting Phnom Penh a while back. Gritty as heck on the outskirts and in the city in some spots too. Loved it. I need to see Bucharest in person as I am a quarter Romanian myself. Grandpa was born and raised in Transylvania. That is not a Dracula joke LOL. Thanks for sharing 🙂

I really enjoyed reading this post, some very useful information. The way you have described the city has made me even more encouraged to go and visit. We went to Timișoara a few years ago to visit my brother who was working out there, that is another very interesting city, it sounds like it has a similar vibe about it. 🙂